Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Today the Baseball Hall of Fame announced they’ll be inducting the 2nd most plunked player in baseball history, and numbers 5 and 26 on the all time list for hitting batters. That’s a pretty good day. And John Smoltz, who hit an above average number of batters compared to other Atlanta Braves pitchers.

The Phil Knell Award (most batters plunked by a pitcher):
American League – Justin Masterson (CLE) – 16 HBPs
National League – Charlie Morton (PIT) – 19 HBPs
That’s back to back Phil Knell awards for both Masterson and Morton

Save a Tree Award (most plate appearances in which the batter did not risk damaging his bat by swinging it, not including intentional walks… In other words, most plate appearances with 0 swings):
National League – Matt Carpenter (STL) – 77
American League – Jose Bautista (LAA) – 62

“Hey, I could do THAT” award (most strikeouts in plate appearance in which the batter did not bother swinging the bat)
American League – Brett Gardner (NYY) – 13
National League – Matt Carpenter (STL), Alex Wood (ATL) – 13

“Hey, I could do THAT Too” award (most strikeouts with three swings that missed):
American League – Josh Hamilton (LAA), Chris Carter (HOU) – 19
National League – Carlos Gomez (MIL) – 18

Most plunks against a single team
National League – Jon Jay (STL) – 6 plunks against Cincinnati, Carlos Gomez (MIL) – 6 plunks against St. Louis
American League – Brandon Moss (OAK) – 5 plunks against the Astros

Most pickoff attempts to first by a pitcher:
American League – Justin Verlander (DET) – 209 (Verlander threw to first base 59 more times than any other pitcher in 2014)
National League – Stephen Strasburg (WSH) – 150

(HAM is a stat pioneered by the Japanese team known as the Nippon Ham fighters – either that or it’s another stat I made up, and it’s explained here. Basically it measures how good a player was at stringing together hits in consecutive plate appearances.)

Best starting pitcher at getting outs (by PORK, which measures who each pitcher faced, how hard they are to get out, and who the pitcher got outs from):
American League – Felix Hernandez (SEA) – .785
National League – Clayton Kershaw (LAD) – .765
(Kershaw got .786 outs per batter faced, but the batters he faced were below average)

Pablo Sandoval got hit by a pitch leading off the 2nd inning of last night’s World Series game 7, and that put him on base to score the Giants first run on a sacrifice fly. Sandoval is just the 3rd player ever to score a run after reaching base on a plunk in a world series game 7. Tim Salmon scored after a 3rd inning plunk in game 7 in 2002, and Albert Pujols scored after a 5th inning plunk in game 7 in 2011 (and for bonus points, he was driven in by an RBI plunk). All three won their World Series.

Lorenzo Cain got hit by a pitch in his first World Series plate appearance last night, making him the first player to get hit in his first attempt at batting in the World Series since October 22, 2005 when Jeff Bagwell got hit by Jose Contreras.

Nothing says “I just like winning baseball games” than quite like taking HBPs in the final game of the season, trying to grit-out that last game before the offseason so teams that don’t make the postseason can at least have one final victory.

Chase Utley picked up his 169th career plunk yesterday, moving into a tie for 16th place on the all time HBP list with Alex Rodriguez. Utley has now been hit more times for the Phillies than the next two most plunked Phillies combined. Mike Lieberthal got hit 88 times for Philadelphia, and Ed Delahanty once held the Phillies record with 80. With Derek Jeter retiring, and Jason Giambi’s future uncertain, Utley is positioned to be the active leader in HBPs starting next season (or tied for the active lead if Alex Rodriguez plays).

79 hbp – Harry Steinfeldt, born 09/29/1877, 163rd all time, played from 1898 to 1911
32 hbp – Rob Deer, born 09/29/1960, 904th all time, played from 1984 to 1996
32 hbp – Tim Flannery, born 09/29/1957, 904th all time, played from 1979 to 1989
24 hbp – Dave Orr, born 09/29/1859, 1261st all time, played from 1883 to 1890
20 hbp – Rich Reese, born 09/29/1941, 1519th all time, played from 1964 to 1973
20 hbp – Gene Richards, born 09/29/1953, 1519th all time, played from 1977 to 1984

active leader:
7 hbp – Shelley Duncan, born 09/29/1979, 3080th all time, played from 2007 to 2013

41 hbp – Bobby Shantz, born 09/26/1925, 627th all time, played from 1949 to 1964
30 hbp – Bert Humphries, born 09/26/1880, 1008th all time, played from 1910 to 1915
22 hbp – Aaron Myette, born 09/26/1977, 1444th all time, played from 1999 to 2004
20 hbp – Brian Shouse, born 09/26/1968, 1575th all time, played from 1993 to 2009
20 hbp – Doug Sisk, born 09/26/1957, 1575th all time, played from 1982 to 1991

active leader: 17 hbp – Christopher Archer, born 09/26/1988, 1809th all time, played from 2012 to 2014

43 hbp – Steve Buechele, born 09/26/1961, 566th all time, played from 1985 to 1995
28 hbp – Dave Martinez, born 09/26/1964, 1076th all time, played from 1986 to 2001
16 hbp – Rich Gedman, born 09/26/1959, 1824th all time, played from 1980 to 1992
15 hbp – George Anderson, born 09/26/1889, 1925th all time, played from 1914 to 1918
14 hbp – Dave Duncan, born 09/26/1945, 2037th all time, played from 1964 to 1976

57 hbp – Dave Weathers, born 09/25/1969, 340th all time, played from 1991 to 2009
51 hbp – Joel Pineiro, born 09/25/1978, 437th all time, played from 2000 to 2011
45 hbp – Pat Malone, born 09/25/1902, 541st all time, played from 1928 to 1937
30 hbp – Johnny Sain, born 09/25/1917, 1008th all time, played from 1942 to 1955
18 hbp – Steve Arlin, born 09/25/1945, 1724th all time, played from 1969 to 1974

active leader:
15 hbp – Vance Worley, born 09/25/1987, 2004th all time, played from 2010 to 2014

79 hbp – Dick Harley, born 09/25/1872, 163rd all time, played from 1897 to 1903
49 hbp – Phil Rizzuto, born 09/25/1916, 448th all time, played from 1941 to 1956
33 hbp – Glenn Hubbard, born 09/25/1957, 864th all time, played from 1978 to 1989
31 hbp – Rocco Baldelli, born 09/25/1981, 947th all time, played from 2003 to 2010
28 hbp – Tony Womack, born 09/25/1969, 1076th all time, played from 1993 to 2006

active leader:
6 hbp – Wil Nieves, born 09/25/1977, 3322nd all time, played from 2002 to 2014